The teachers were landed in the afternoon, and were well received. The
natives all promised to care for them, and treat them kindly. There are
about two hundred and fifty natives on the island. No _Ellengowan_
appearing, we determined to leave this on Wednesday, the 21st, and to
proceed to Moresby Island. Next morning we left, but, owing to light
winds, we did not anchor in Hoop-Iron Bay, off Moresby Island, till the
morning of the 22nd. The anchorage here is in an open roadstead. It is
a very fine island--the vegetation from the water's edge right up to the
mountain tops. Plantations are to be seen all round. The people live in
small detached companies, and are not so pleasant and friendly-looking a
people as are the Teste islanders. This is the great Basilaki, and the
natives are apparently the deadly foes of all the islanders round. Before
we anchored, we were surrounded by catamarans (three small logs lashed
together) and canoes--spears in them all.
Mr. McFarlane decided, as soon as we came to the island, that he would
not land his teachers here; and I did not consider it a suitable place as
a head station for New Guinea.
Pages:
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61